In love with the desert skies

The exhibition Rajasthan - Under the Desert Sky and the coffee book Looking Beyond the Surface are initiatives by photographer Rajesh Bedi, all set to be revealed in the Capital. The photo exhibition and book are unique in their approach as they reveal Rajasthan and its secrets in a manner unmatched by any previous attempt at documenting this beautiful region.

Salman Khurshid, Minister of External Affairs and Jaswant Singh, Member of Parliament (Lok Sabha) will be the guest of honor for the event and Maharaja Gaj Singh II of Marwar-Jodhpur will inaugurate the exhibition. 

For most visitors Rajasthan is a state that represents grandeur and intoxicating royalty. But the photographer’s quest was to look beyond the customary splendour of Rajasthan. Using hot air balloons, microlite and cameras mounted on high-flying kites, he has experimented with photography to present the vastnesses of Rajasthan from a fresh perspective.  The outstanding aerial landscapes that have resulted complement the ground-level photographs.

This work has been a labour of love spread over several years. Having spent weeks in the company of desert and tribal communities, accompanying them as they graze their flocks and travel to the spectacular fairs and religious occasions to capture the vibrant character of its people. 

The lensman has climbed into the high fastnesses of the Aravallis, to discover deserted forts and primitive rock shelters that are inhabited to this day. The symmetry and ornate splendour of ancient step wells and mandana paintings by women folk have mesmerized him. For him the lines and shapes also have a powerful visual rhythm. From his large collection of photographs only 47 blowups on canvas will be on display at the exhibition.

As a wildlife photographer, he has tried to capture rare glimpses of Rajasthan’s wildlife and gained moving insights into the communities that protect wild animals as an article of faith. Perhaps most rare in a sense of universal motherhood is the image of Kiran Bishnoi of Jodhpur district offering suckle to the young chinkara gazelle and her own son in chorus; a unique example in the world of harmony between  man and nature.

This picture forms the back cover of the coffee table book, Rajasthan, Under the Desert Sky, published by Roli Books. The book has 100 images and text by Gillian Wright.  Kiran Bishnoi has consented to be present at the opening of Exhibition and would be happy to share her experience in raising the chinkara fawn and also about the values of conservation practiced by Bishnoi community.  

Rajesh Bedi is one of India’s best-known freelance photographers on the international scene. He has travelled extensively to get freeze frames in shimmering heat and shifting dunes across the desert state of Rajasthan. The book Rajasthan: Under the Desert Sky is a labour of love, born of his desire to reveal Rajasthan and her secrets in a manner unmatched by any previous attempt at documenting this beautiful region.

His photographs have been published in leading international magazines, such as National Geographic, Life, Geo, and Audubon Society Book, in various encyclopaedias and also been adopted on Indian Postage stamps. His published works include pictorial books on Banaras, Ladakh, Sikkim, and Sadhus – The Holy Men.

His recent book Sadhu – The Seekers of Salvation is a monumental photographic study of the esoteric monastic orders. It offers in great detail the very first glimpse of women sadhavies and practicing Aghori ascetics, the most rarely seen of all the Indian sanyasis and sadhus.

Also regarded as a leading photographer on wildlife in India, his large-format  pictorial book titled India’s Wild Wonders was one of the first wildlife books on India’s rich  fauna. He was adjudged Wildlife Photographer of the year 1986 in a worldwide competition.